No delay

Monday 24 January 2005 00:00 BST

Click to followThe Independent Online

We know that the world is heating up. We know that mankind's reckless use of fossil fuels is responsible. But just how hot does it need to get before some of the terrible consequences of global warming - rising sea levels, droughts, agricultural failure - manifest themselves? An international report, released tomorrow, argues that the world could reach that "danger" temperature in as little as 10 years' time. We ignore these warnings at our peril. This report confirms that tackling climate change is not something we can defer. It requires an immediate response. Otherwise, we will reap the dire consequences within our own lifetimes.

We know that the world is heating up. We know that mankind's reckless use of fossil fuels is responsible. But just how hot does it need to get before some of the terrible consequences of global warming - rising sea levels, droughts, agricultural failure - manifest themselves? An international report, released tomorrow, argues that the world could reach that "danger" temperature in as little as 10 years' time. We ignore these warnings at our peril. This report confirms that tackling climate change is not something we can defer. It requires an immediate response. Otherwise, we will reap the dire consequences within our own lifetimes.